


Interloper Interlude

by Heka_tosh



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: #MariaDeservedBetter, Canon Compliant, Falling In Love, I'm going to be extremely not serious about my titles, M/M, Man anyway I don't know Im way too into this narrative, Obsession, POV Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Pining, Possessive Behavior, This starts off so very sad, Venom and Riot are going by it/they, Venom will probably start alternating with he/him as it begins to identify with Eddie, but really lets be honest pov of one or the other is a blurred line lmao, just felt right this way, occasional eddie POV, smut to come so strap up until then baby, they're biologically asexual aliens they aren't bound by our smothering gender binary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2019-08-10 01:33:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16460909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heka_tosh/pseuds/Heka_tosh
Summary: What is the Venom Symbiote thinking before and in between its unions with Eddie Brock? How does its attitude towards Earth, humans and its mission change the longer it stays here?All Venom knows, is that it all starts off as well as a car crash.





	1. Welcome to Earth, loser

What could Venom say? Earth, so far, what a let down.

Not only did it and the rest of the team have zero clue what the plan was, now that Riot was... well missing. No idea if they were coming back, did Riot have a backup plan for this? Was Riot even still alive after that shitty escape on that vessel, causing the crash? Was This the plan? There was no way of telling, Riot, as much a dominating team leader as it was... Didn't seem to always make the best decisions. Supposedly, the rest should just continue with the mission, no matter how disorganized that could get.

Were they doomed to fail?

All Venom knew was that they could not afford to stray, they had to find a good flesh suit, lay low, recover, wait for a sign from Riot? If that never came, the mission continued, as stated. Venom could do that. They were after all, personally picked by Riot for this. What a... change that was, for Venom. A few decades ago it would never have ever crossed their mind that they'd be part of something... this big. Historical, even.

The big problem, on the other hand, was the fact that they were imprisoned, by the very organization of humans that seemed to have found them on that asteroid. And now they were... fed humans in a bizarrely steady stream. Were humans this cold, to feed them their own? Why? If anything, it seemed as if though they had a massive interest in the symbiotes... That was, mildly confusing, unsettling. But at least they were fed, and that was a massive advantage. What was a huge disappointment, however... Was how average they were. Humans. There had been an innate feeling that they would be far tastier than this.

After the fourth or fifth human discarded, Venom was starting to think they were being deliberately fed sick, weak humans. Or this was as good as it'd get? The more it dug into the memories and thoughts of its hosts, the more it got the feeling that the first suspicion was the right one. They were malnourished, and they had been for a long time. It was starting to get a picture of what kind of society humans had... At least from these hosts.

There was a familiarity to Venom, that so far, things didn't seem so different here, than where they came from. There were people living comfortably, then there were the unfortunate ones. Invisible. Worthless. Weak.

So weak. Most hardly lasted a day before their bodies failed on Venom, not that it was exactly going easy on them either. A symbiote had to feed, after all.

 

* * *

 

This body was falling apart, the mind was was damaged, pitiful. It assumed this human was sick. And it had probably been so far before it became another invisible piece in the human system. Homeless was a word that came up a lot, in their memories. Mental illness. Not even the host seemed to understand it too well. 

Now as the human lay dying, tears blurred it's vision, and weak, uneven breaths hitched. Pathetic, really.  
It was a human male, as it had come to understand. Humans reproduced binarily. As two, making a third. Seemed unnecessary. Why would a life form really need another on such a level? Seemed like a possible weakness to be exploited... Yet humans seemed to have an innate need for... Intimacy. Physically, emotionally... The chemicals in their heads seemed to respond well to being truly close with someone else.

Then it realized what the human was thinking about, just that. The humans that created it, broodmates, his kin, partners, too. The male had a reaction to that, a chemical released in it's brain, as bare bones as it was at this point of Venom feeding on it... but something was different about this, very different. It was delicious. Memories of good times with his peers. It had tasted this momentarily from other hosts, it was very potent. Unfortunate that it did not understand how to make the host brain produce more of that chemical... It hardly seemed worth the effort to try and seek it out, either, as nutritious as it was.

Through the fuzzy vision of the man, Venom could see figures start to move beyond the clear barrier, glass, that it had tried so hard to break and escape through. That meant exactly what it already knew, that the host did not have long now, and they were preparing a new one.  
Dreary. What an existence. But how to escape it? Venom didn't know.

It turned its attention back on the host, realizing that it had so far never communicated with either of its hosts. Except the first one, perhaps, expressing disappointment in how underwhelming the experience was to it, after having failed to even scratch their prison. It couldn't properly bond with any of them, they were too weak, they didn't feel right. It didn't click.

Now, however, there was a... minimal amount of understanding for this powerless thing. And it had something to say, before the man slipped out of consciousness.

**{Consider yourself lucky. You'll no longer be a burden and a waste on this planet, and the system around you. Your last purpose was to be fuel for something greater.}**

There was no response, although it knew the man had registered its words. It was somewhat disappointing...  
Then his heart stopped, and right away, the heat of the body slowly started to seep away, atom by atom. This was no more than an empty shell now.

Venom exited through his open mouth, into the cold, dangerous world outside. It heard a voice in the cell next to this one, calling out in distress, confused. There was the sharp sound of a small electric hatch opening, and in its gelatinous form it turned, slightly disoriented by the bright lights from the ceiling, and saw the same old opening into the next cell that it was used to, now.

It left its former host behind and slithered through the hatch, seeing a skinny, pale woman. She had dark messy hair and her bright eyes widened at the sight of it.

"Wh-what the fuck is that-" her voice cracked with fear, and she backed up against the glass wall, pressing against it when the alien thing began moving towards her. It didn't have all the time in the world, after all... It could only survive for so long in the harshness that was outside a host.  
"Ah-stay away from me, no! Go away!" She shrieked, moving into the corner, banging her fists on the glass. "Let me out!! I didn't agree to this- please!!!"

She turned around suddenly when it was almost by her feet, and instinctually raised her bare foot, slamming it down into the oily pulp that was the symbiote, hoping to squash it like a bug.  
It was still for a second, and the woman took a shaky breath, before the inky liquid began crawling up her leg, and she screamed again, trying frantically to tear it off, only for it to stick to her hands, moving towards her torso.

Beyond the glass, passive faces watched the struggle, and the inevitable, happen.


	2. Alone together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad company is better than none.

Her name was Maria.  
  
She'd survived her first day, then the second, and that was more than most before her. She'd fought the symbiosis, but she was still stable. On the Night of the third day, when the labs went dark and silent, except for the occasional wail of a test subject- Venom spoke to her.

  
  
**{Maria}**

 

She'd been laying curled up in a corner when the voice had suddenly sounded in her head. She jumped with a gasp, looking around.  
  
"Who was that?" her voice was hoarse from screaming at the walls, trying to get contact with the scientists, to no avail.   
  
**{The thing inside you.}**  
  
Her heart skipped a beat, her blood running cold with dread.  
  
"Wh-what... Y-you're speaking... That's..." She clutched her head, sure she was going insane. But then what she had seen from peeking through the glass, into other cells at other people writhing in agony… There had to be a connection.   
"Oh my God… This shit is crazy… I'm going to die in here, like the others..."  
  
**{Oh yes. You will.}**  
  
"You're what will kill me, aren't you?"  
  
**{Yes.}**  
  
"Why did I agree to that contract, I knew it was too good to be true. I knew it!"  
  
Memories of being approached out by her usual spot by a representative from the Life Foundation came flooding into her head, she agreed to a deal. Take part in some tests, get food and shelter, and possibly future opportunities. Something big, she'd been told.  
  
**{Interesting. And sad. Actuallly. Mostly sad. No. No, pathetic. Naive. Yes, that's exactly it.}**  
  
Maria whimpered and a few tears leaked out of her tightly shut eyes.  
  
"I was trying to save money... A way off the streets... I just... I just hoped this could be my big chance... But now..." She shook her head, and wiped her tears with the back of her hand, choking them back. "So this is it, they're just feeding us to aliens? What's the point of that? " She was pushing the thought of death out of her mind, perhaps not so strange. The symbiote knew that it wouldn't go down without a fight in the same situation, either.  
  
**{You're the one who agreed to the situation you're in. Or perhaps they tricked you, that's even worse, hehe... I'm just waiting for an opportunity to escape.}**  
  
"W-wait... What- you're going to escape?"  
  
**{Why would I want to be in here? Of course I'm escaping. I have things to do. }**  
  
"How. How are you escaping?"  
  
**{...}** , "you don't know how."   
  
**{I'm... working on it.}**   
  
"What if I helped you? If we worked together, we could both get out? Could you... Not kill me? " She suggested, growing more animated.   
  
**{ Hah! What could you possibly do. Why would I need your help? You are weak. You are disposable to your own kind. Why would I want to spare you? }**  
  
That left her silent for a moment, her heart sinking.   
  
"I mean... Yeah. A lot of people don't give a shit about me. But I don't want to die, I want to live. And... If there's just one person out there that cares if I disappear... Then... " She bit her dry lip, raw lip. She was thinking, and remembering someone recent who looked at her as more than just a homeless waste of life, a friend. He saw someone in her, he respected her. He was one of the very few. She hadn't done anything in particular to earn it... But it meant something to her, even if it was so simple.   
  
Venom entertained the notion, though it didn't understand it.   
  
Then she sprang an unexpected question on it.  
  
"Do you have anyone...? Family, friends? Someone you care for?"  
  
What a confusing question. Family? Why would it care about its spawn or who it spawned from? Once separated, they were no longer each other's business. And friends? Did she mean allies? Sure. It just didn't care for them. Had it ever cared for anyone? Maybe... If it had something to gain from another of its own kind. It just didn't rely on them, or trust them.  
  
**{No. I care about surviving.}**  
  
"..." She hugged her legs, looking down at her feet, pale and clean. It had been a long time since her feet were this clean. "That sounds... Really lonely... We all need someone. Who wants to just survive, anyway... You gotta live a little, too, right?" she said with a weak chuckle, lowering her head to rest on her knees.  
  
**{Eventually.}** it wasn't going to reveal anything about the mission, but this human was proving to have more... interesting things to say than first expected. **{Until then... }** it said, thinking about the situation it was in... That they were in. Maybe she could be useful after all. It just wasn't about to waste any energy on her.  
  
"... we're both stuck here. Aren't we? " when she didn't get a response, she spoke again. "I'm Maria. " she said softly.  
  
**{I know.}**  
  
She blinked, frowning a little.  
  
"You do? How?"  
  
**{I'm in your head. I know everything about you. Your memories. I can feel what you feel.}**  
  
"You really are some kind of alien, huh. I knew the government was hiding something... Or... Well... I guess the Life Foundation isn't the government... But still." She muttered to herself, then paused, thinking. "At least I'm not dying all alone, that would be worse... But why are you doing this...? It doesn't sound like you're here because you want to be?"  
  
**{To survive. My kind... We do best inside something living, we feed on them. There hasn't been a lot of luck in that department since we came here... All the hosts I've had so far died within a day, usually, they were too weak. I couldn't bond with them, their bodies couldn't take it. Besides… They just weren't… Right.}**

 

"You... you've been in me for longer than a day... Three days, right? What If I helped you get out, I could help you find a better host, could you just... Switch?" She asked, but then stopped. "Although... Then someone else would have to..." She said with a frown, realizing that wouldn't be great either.   
  
**{I could.}** Just maybe... She had no clue, after all... That when the rest of its kin arrived, it would be all over. For humanity, that is. If there was the slimmest chance of it being able to get out thanks to her... Then yes. She could live. A little longer at least.  
  
**{If you make it long enough to do anything, that is...}** Maria fell silent, running her hands through her hair and sighing.   
  
**{If you get us to another host, you can live. Just remember, if you die, there'll be another served. They want to keep me alive. You're worth far less.}**  
  
She perked up at that.  
  
"So- you'll do it?" She asked with budding hope.   
  
**{... Yes. }**  
  
She breathed in deeply, then smiled just a little. There was a surge of something refreshing, determination.  
  
"Deal. What's your name, do you have one?"

  
  
**{Venom.}**   
  


 

* * *

  
  
  
Another two days passed, each had the symbiote surprised that Maria's body hadn't submitted to being fed on yet. Maybe she wasn't in as bad shape as the ones before her, or that determination really did something. As impressive as that was, they were still no closer to escape. They were isolated here, and there was no hesitation, her body would fail, eventually.  
  
Venom told her about what could have been possible, had she been stronger, healthier. The power it could have granted. She had insisted it try to bond with her again properly. But there was nothing it could do, it couldn't manifest itself on a host that just didn't have the vigor. It would burn through her in a second, and then she'd die, and it'd be out there and vulnerable until the scientists could throw in another human, besides... it was starting to tolerate Maria's company. She wasn't so bad.  
  
She didn't seem to mind Venom digging through her memories. She'd in fact tell them about herself, and ask about Venom. It was strange... But it passed the time.   


 

* * *

  
  
The next two days spelled the beginning of the end, as it knew it would come. She was getting weaker more rapidly than before, the days bled into one another for her and she was struggling to keep her spirits high.  
She didn't have long, now. Soon her body would give in to exhaustion, trying to keep going while the symbiote fed off her organs.   
  
Yet she kept surprising it.   
  
"I'm sorry, Venom." she said, sitting in the eerie blue light that surrounded her once the other lights went out and the lab fell so very still.   
  
It was confused, why would she apologize? Especially to something that was killing her.  
  
**{Why?}**   
  
  
"I thought I could figure something out, a way out. I've gotten out of sticky situations before- But we're... absolutely isolated in here. I wanted us both to get out of here, I mean, who wants to be a prisoner. But now it seems... Like... " She smiled sadly, letting out a frail chuckle. "... you'll be stuck in here. I'll die, and they'll keep giving you people, for some reason. You won't be alone... but no one will stay for long, it seems. I'm sorry you're stuck like this, as well... I know that you're killing me. But you're... An alien. You can't help it, if this is how you survive... Aren't we all leeching off something or someone to survive? What I'm trying to say is that... I don't blame you. You don't seem so bad. I'd rather spend my last hours in your company than being all alone."

  
Venom was dumbstruck by those words, and couldn't find anything to say to it. She'd enjoyed its company? That couldn't be right...  
  
"I just get this feeling, you know... That you and me, we're not so different."  
  
That struck something, and Venom felt a twinge of disgust bubble up within it. There was confusion too, it didn't understand at all... Humans, these thoughts and feelings they had, why did she say such things. Was it supposed to 'get' whatever she was talking about?   
  
**{We are NOTHING alike. Don't kid yourself. I don't and never needed your help, you amount to NOTHING. My kind will take over this planet, and eat EVERYTHING. There will be no one left and you had no chance of survival to begin with. }**   
  
It wasn't until after it all came out that Venom realized it had just revealed their plan to her... Whatever, it didn't matter, really... Humans didn't seem very bright anyway. It wasn't just that though, it didn't feel... great at all to have said what it just said.  
  
"What... That's... That's why you're here? On earth? Oh my God..." She clutched her head, her mind racing and her heart beating hard, this was about more than her, more than the poor people tricked into this death trap...! This was about everyone, all people on the entire planet. She should have figured from the start, but why would the Life Foundation be in on this!? It was crazy! She had to do something! What could she do? She wasn't going to make it much further- she just wanted out of here, she wanted to go back to her damn spot outside Mrs. Chen’s store. She didn't want to believe this.

She hugged her legs tight, hiding her face against her knees, her breath hitching in her throat.

 

She just stayed like that, while Venom… listened. Had it heard a sound? Was it a guard? It was different than the usual nightguard.

It took control of Maria's neck and made her look towards the glass. There was someone out there. A person.

 

Not just a guard.

 

She gasped as she for the first time felt the symbiote take control of her and made her fling herself at the glass, then slam on the glass. She then too realized that there was someone out there, someone new. Quickly she began slamming her hands on her own accord, begging for whoever it was to help.

 

As they came closer, she couldn't believe her eyes...

 

_"Eddie!!"_


	3. Knock knock let the devil in

Of all people, she was so happy to see a familiar face! 

 

“Eddie!” she yelled, seeing his face light up in blue as he came closer to the barrier. 

 

“Maria!?” he said in disbelief, squinting and taken aback by seeing her here.

 

“it's me, Maria! Eddie, you gotta get me out! ” she pleaded, panicked by finally seeing someone she knew! Venom, on the other hand, was quite intrigued. Perhaps this guy would make a better match. 

 

Eddie stuttered, looking around on the outside and she could see him begin fiddling with something on the framework of the glass. 

“I just don't know how…!” 

 

He pressed on the lockscreen next to the glass door just a few times and suddenly the lab lit up in flashing reds, an absolutely atrocious alarm going off that felt like electricity through Maria's body. She screamed, feeling the same intense pain surge through her that Venom did, she gripped her head, but there was no escaping it. It made their skin crawl, like they were being torn apart, skinned alive and had salt rubbed into the exposed flesh.

Not only that, but the room began filling up with smoke from a vent nearby. 

 

The sound was painful, excruciating. And the gas was making her head spin nauseatingly. It was exhausting Maria's already tired body, the exertion could be deadly for her at this point. 

 

Yet they could still notice the sound of something smashing against the glass through the smoke, and then, a crash. 

 

She watched with foggy vision as glass shattered on the floor by her feet. 

 

No way.

 

Venom didn't hesitate, and seized control to send Maria flinging herself through the gas and the broken door at the man responsible for freeing them. What was his name, Eddie? He was her friend. Linked to a lot of positive emotions for her. It didn't have time to question how or why he was here, but one thing was for sure: He was Venom's new ride, and it was about time he showed up. 

 

They landed hard on the floor, Maria struggling to make out any words while she fought Venom's influence while the effect of the gas had her feeling like vomiting, but still trying to fight its power from making her grab him. Eddie called her name in confusion, trying to get her off, despite the commotion he didn't use violence, like he couldn't believe she was really attacking him. And then, her hands were on his throat, holding him down with strength her body just couldn't handle. Her eyes stared, scared and squinting, she didn't want to do this. She couldn't stop it. 

 

_ I'm so sorry, Eddie _

 

It was too much, her limit was reached and she started to fall out of consciousness. It was now or never, Venom gathered its mass out of her body, shifting it down her arms and onto its new vessel. 

 

It was a strange, bitter feeling when it felt it's last connection to Maria sever, and her body went limp and fell onto her side, lifeless. Eddie didn't have time to notice the black sludge sinking into his skin as he looked at Maria's lifeless body with fear and concern. 

 

Eddie Brock was his name, and he felt so… Different- from all the ones before him! Venom wasn't imagining it, this was by far the most comfortable body Venom had encountered. He was strong, unifying had gone so smoothly, it was a perfect, snug fit. The beating of Eddie's heart was like a rhythmic drum, one Venom could easily follow along to, or learn to play for its own purpose. The rushing of his blood pumping through his veins was assuring yet exciting. Now… this body had promise of being able to keep up with the symbiote. It just felt  **Right** . And now, it was Venom's. All that from just a few moments after entering. It was thrilled at the prospect of this bond only improving, going forward. 

 

At last. 

 

Just what Venom needed for its escape. 

 

“oh God, Maria… Oh No…” he groaned, getting up, unaware of who was now inside him and marveling at its new puppet. 

 

Right away it could feel his emotions so clearly, Eddie was wondering if he'd killed her somehow, or what had happened, why her? What was going on here? 

It glanced at Maria's body, something stinging deep within, but there was nothing it could do, she was dead now. It was all for the better, anyway. She could've suffered so much worse. 

 

They couldn't stay here, Venom repressed the feeling it couldn't name. Instead, with surprising effectiveness, it sent adrenaline pulsing through Eddie's body, and just a nudge was enough to send him running, fast. 

 

There was a powerful rush to finally be able to run, to be moving freely and further and nothing was going to stop them now. Nothing! As they left the lab behind, the symbiote was relieved to find it hardly had to do anything, this vessel seemed to know where to go on very few visual cues from the hallways. 

 

This gave it a moment to get acquainted with the character of this strange new human. He was so… Healthy. Steady. Compared to the ones before now. It couldn't get over it, it was like a breath of fresh air. 

 

He was a… Reporter? Dug up things more powerful people would rather hide. And he'd been hurt in retaliation because of it. Yet here he was, doing what was right. 

 

It left his memories alone for now, seeing guards up ahead as they rounded a corner. 

Perfect opportunity to see just how well this body handled, something simple, ahh… 

 

Eddie springboarded off a wall and threw one of the guards into the next with a crunch, to his own surprise, having no clue when or where he learned that, but before he had time to think too hard about it, he slid and tripped the second guard, who went face first into the floor. A quick glance behind at what he'd done and they were off running again. So far so good. 

 

A locked exit was the next obstacle, and the Symbiote hesitated for a moment, not sure whether it was bonded closely enough to this guy's cells to make him strong eno- Eddie kicked the door open. Not only did he kick the door open, he kicked it clean off its hinges. 

 

**_Nice._ **

 

Eddie chalked it up to being a poorly designed door, how else had he managed to do that? But he really had no time to think about any of this, he had to get out of here or literally get killed because he'd made it into the freaking Life Foundation building. 

 

A garage,  _ yes _ , yes this was boding very well, looking left, he could see morning light, even the shapes of trees from the angle he was at. Yes, the outside! Exhilaration bloomed and surged through the symbiote as Eddie ran, exiting the driveway to the underground garage and heading straight for the tall fence. 

 

He was gonna have to climb that, he thought as he leapt towards it, ready to grab onto the wire when he realized how fast he was going and then-his body tore a hole in it and he fell face first down the other side, rolling down the hill. 

 

What the fucking what? 

 

Whatever get out now they're shooting at him oh God. He scrambled into the forest beyond the fence, ducking between trees and praying that he wasn't gonna get hit. 

 

For just a second he thought he was getting away, before he heard yelling and movement in the trees, heard the roaring of engines and soon guards on foot and four-wheelers were hunting him. He couldn't possibly outrun that, he thought fearfully as he heard one of the vehicles speeding up behind him. He dodged in between trees, where they couldn't drive through, but not focusing on where he was going for a second and he barreled into a fallen pine-tree leaning against another. He expected it to hurt a lot, the impact. It was loud and he landed on his stomach. Wait, what? He looked back with disoriented bewilderment at the log, split in two with wood chips sprinkled around him.

Suddenly his body lurched back up onto his feet, as if he'd been plucked off the ground like a ragdoll, and another lurch sent him running again. 

 

So  _ malleable _ , this human. It was far beyond what Venom had expected so soon into the symbiosis, were all healthy humans this easily steered? So easily adaptable to the power a symbiote offered? That was deeply encouraging, perhaps this invasion would turn out much easier than expected. 

 

It'd rather not speak too soon, however, as they could hear pursuers from every direction now, closing in. Well, shit. There was only one way to go. 

 

Up. 

 

It took full control now, slipping around a tree and leaping, catching Eddie's hand on the base of a branch, heaving him up with one arm and grabbing the next branch with his other hand, then stepping on the first branch, and up they went, quickly. At the top, it grabbed onto the trunk and let Eddie hold on on his own from there, instead focusing on the confused yelling far below. The poor man held on for dear life as the pine swayed gently, distressed by how he'd just done that, while also trying to focus on not getting sick from the daunting height of the tree. 

 

As the security guards scattered below, the symbiote wanted to laugh in triumph.

  
  


_ Now the invasion could  _ **_really_ ** _ begin.  _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Local confused California man busts alien slime out of prison, full scoop at 8


	4. The least gracious host

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venom realizes that Eddie is about as well put together as a dumpster fire.

Being in Eddie's head revealed that one of the scientists at the Life Foundation had tipped this guy off, so... they didn't all agree with this Carlton Drake, after all. As soon as it got out of that lab, Venom could finally get a better picture. Of the Foundation, this world, humans. But that was just one point of view, and this Eddie seemed to know a lot about their operations. He'd researched it, met Carlton Drake, called him out about testing in people. People who died. And Drake had crushed him like a bug for it. 

 

_ Have a nice life.  _

 

What a dick. 

 

It would've expected there to be a whole lot more spite in Eddie's heart for Drake than there was. He rolled with the punches, so to say. It was sort of… pitiful. Now he wasn't doing too well in the career aspect. Or generally having someone who'd miss him if he vanished. Which was all really beneficial for Venom, no one to get between them and the mission, then, delicious invasion. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Venom had started to get nice and comfortable in Eddie's system by the time he made it home from the Life Foundation facilities, just laying low and incubating. 

 

As Eddie wrapped up a call to his insider, the thing inside him stirred to an I overwhelming need. 

 

_ Hunger.  _

 

This guy had to eat, else he wasn't going to be Venom's host for long. The symbiote, of course, was already having a taste of his organs. As expected, he was delicious. It hoped this one would last, it was a promising match so far. 

 

Before Eddie even knew it, Venom's hunger had him digging through the trash for days old chicken, and in his head, it just made sense somehow, to bite into it. At first it was satisfying, the tinge of flesh on his tongue, and he swallowed whole bites before his body caught up to him, as well as the symbiote. It was dead, no, not just dead, long dead,  _ decaying _ . Suddenly every part of Eddie was protesting. As in, about to purge. 

 

It all came back out a few moments later, quite disappointingly, leaving him emptier than he had been before. Not the smartest, the alien noted with a bit of exasperation. Anyway… 

 

“What is wrong with me?” Eddie whimpered into the toilet bowl. 

 

Oh, if he only knew. Actually…now that Venom had established itself in this body, perhaps it was time to break the news to him, let him know the deal. So either he could cooperate, and suffer less, or this little possession was turning malevolent. 

  
  


Eddie had just brushed his teeth, meeting his own gaze in the mirror and mulling over what the scale of his situation might really be, he also considered just taking a nap, hoping to sleep this off. He could head to Mrs. Chen to buy something to eat, but everything he could think of just… it felt weird, like he had a craving for something he just couldn't put his finger on-

 

**{Eddie.}**

 

The mirror image of himself seemed to warp, his eyes starting to morph bizarrely and Eddie shrieked, throwing himself away from the bathroom mirror and backing straight into the side of his bathtub, tripping backwards, ripping the shower curtains down and knocking himself out by hitting his head on the wall. Then he was still. 

 

… Well that definitely didn't go according to plan. 

 

**{Fucking idiot… }**

  
  


* * *

 

 

Okay, maybe give it a bit more time. Let him settle down, it was rushed to speak to him so soon, Venom could only blame themself. It should've known this guy was… whatever he was. An  _ idiot _ ? He really had no clue there was anything seriously wrong with him. Yet. It could work with this, just don't expect too much of his decision-making skills. 

  
  


When Eddie came to, he was sort of out of it, wondering just what the hell was going on. This definitely didn't feel like an ordinary cold. 

He exited the bathroom to face the mess he'd made, then thinking about last night's escapade.

 

He'd taken pictures. How about that, that's one clever move. He really was intent on bringing the Life Foundation down. Not that it'd matter, that rocket the Foundation was preparing was part of the mission Objective. Get on it, launch back into space and bring the rest of its kind back. The Life Foundation wouldn't be more than a chapter in history after Earth was conquered. It was undeniably exciting to just think about how big this would be. It was an ugly, cruel world, and it wouldn't be much worse off with someone else in charge. Perhaps it'd even be better off. 

 

The symbiote thought of this as Eddie dug his phone out of his pocket and began sifting through the pictures he'd taken, when suddenly Venom was stopped in its train of thought by a picture he didn't expect. 

 

Maria. 

 

It was through the glass wall, she was curled up. It must've been right after it… snapped at her. There it was, that feeling was back. Oh no. It didn't like this. She was dead now, it had killed her… She kept her word and did after all find it a new host, but it still killed her. Why was that? It could've left her alive, pushed her less harshly, and she might have lived. Even if it wouldn't be long. She'd have to suffer like everyone else in the end, it didn't matter. She didn't matter. So why did it hurt to look at that photo?

 

It had to be the hunger. 

 

As if on cue, Eddie was on the move, there was a determination to his step. Venom could tell he was moving forward with these photos, he needed to get to someone he could trust with this. 

 

Might as well see where that went, the symbiote thought, starting to feel… grouchy. This guy was not eating. And if he didn't eat, the symbiote was going to run him dry much faster… and honestly? It'd rather keep this guy a little longer, despite being a dumbass. He was a comfortable dumbass. 

  
  


It stopped paying attention to what Eddie was feeling, reclining to take it easy and expel as little energy as possible, but once he was out on the  move and on the phone, a whiff of street food had his stomach growling and in turn, it was a jab in the side for the symbiote. 

 

**{FOOD.}** It growled loudly inside Eddie's head, making him yelp in surprise and look around frantically while on the phone. He shook it off and once told that the person he was looking for was at lunch down the street, he hung up and checked his texts. The scientist that had brought him into the Life Foundation wasn’t answering his calls or his messages, it gave him a strange feeling in his gut, remembering how she’d said how dangerous it was for her to come to him. But she’d respond when the waters became calm, wait a day, two, maybe.

  
  


The aromatic scent of food surrounded him as he walked straight into the restaurant, disregarding the hostess’s protests. He spotted who he was here for and headed straight up to the tables.

 

“Oh my god, Eddie- What are you doing here?!” she said when she noticed him, looking absolutely disheveled, and quite honestly, a mess as he sat down next to her. He was sweaty, breathing heavily and not feeling too great.

 

“Anne, I have to tell you something-” Eddie pushed on, nonetheless, not even acknowledging her new boyfriend’s presence across the table. “I called your office, they told me you were here, you’re the only person that I trust.” He said hurriedly, almost shoving his phone in her face, scrolling through the pictures on it, but Anne just stared at him in disbelief.

 

“Are you drunk!?”

 

“No, I- broke into the Life Foundation.” He admitted with darting eyes.

 

“You did what?!” Somehow she didn’t seem all that surprised by that.

 

“But I ah- I think I may have been infected-” Eddie explained with a glance at Dan, then continued slurring his words.

 

All very amusing to his new ‘tenant’, but all this food around was starting to cloud his mind.

 

Anne touched his forehead, looking to Dan.

 

“He’s burning up.”

 

“Eddie, you look like you’re in a bad way...” Dan said, leaning in slightly.

 

“I am in a bad way!” Eddie didn’t even realize he’d stood up until he was throwing his hand out towards a passing waiter and grabbing a main course straight off its platter. He sunk his teeth into it, but right away it just felt wrong. He spat it out, causing uncomfortable onlookers from around the restaurant to groan in disgust.

 

“Eddie, jesus!” Anne exclaimed, but he didn’t hear her, slamming the food back onto its plate and staring the unsettled waiter in the eyes.

 

“This is dead.” He spoke in insult, tapping the plate to accentuate his point, “ _ Dead _ ”.

 

“Eddie, sit down.” Anne demanded, but he wasn’t listening. He turned away and headed towards another table, something here had to be edible.

 

He tried to grab a steak off someone’s plate, said guest, grabbing his hand, unwilling to part with their food. 

 

“Snap out of it!” Anne said, slapping him clear across the face, sending his head turning to stare at Dan, a thought, no, a compulsion coming over him.

 

He reached out, hand stopping inches from Dan’s face, then his other reaching out to grab him loosely by the face and turning his head back and forth.

 

“Ahh...” Food? Could be. But not now. “No.” Eddie decided finally and turned away again. “Ahh it’s no good...” he moaned and turned to another table, shoving someone away from their food and grabbing a bite, only to spit that out as well. This just wouldn’t do. And he was burning up.

 

“I’m hot, is anyone else hot?” he wondered, noticing the big lobster tank in the middle of the room and getting another  **impulse** . He threw his jacket off and hushed the hostess on his way to the tank.

 

“Eddie,” Anne groaned, coming over, then realizing what he was up to, “What are you doing?” she gasped, watching him climb a desk to get up on the tank. “Please don’t, Eddie, please-”

 

He dropped his legs in, sighing deeply as he sank into the cold water.

 

“Thass’ much better.” He concluded, Anne coming up to the side of the tank.

 

“Eddie you are insane!” She hissed, trying to keep her voice down, despite the fact that not a single person in there wasn’t paying attention to this spectacle. 

 

“He’s killing people!” Eddie wheezed back, finding the haze in his head lighting up a little, enough to try and tell her why he was even here in the first place.

 

Anne stared, “Who’s killing people?”

 

“Carlton Drake!” 

 

“Eddie, not this again-” Anne sighed in exasperation, but he interrupted her.

 

“-he is! And I have proof!” He swore intently, the movement of the lobsters he was now sharing a tank with made something switch in his head, and his hands darted into the water, grabbing one with a splash, making Anne back off as he bit into living, writhing flesh.

 

Finally, something…  **Edible.**

 

As he sat there, grunting into his meal, someone came up next to him.

 

“Hey, Eddie...” Dan said slowly, making Eddie turn his head in his direction, yet somehow looking through him as he chewed. Then… At some point, he lost consciousness. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

When he came to for the second time that day, he felt… Sort of refreshed, somehow? Not much but... There was someone calling his name… He blinked a few times, he was inside, something… Where was he? 

 

Venom felt… A strange electric buzz around them, it was… Unnerving.

 

“Hey, Dan...” Eddie said, “Where am I?”

 

“You’re in the MRI, we gave you a little sedative.”

 

“Where’s Anne?” So he was at the hospital, god… He was really messed up, wasn’t he?

 

“Anne... is not here right now. We’re gonna run some tests, okay? It’s gonna be completely painless, so you know just try to stay still, ah, relax, and uhm… Yeah, here we go.”

 

Eddie took a breath, hearing the machine hum to life, but the symbiote could feel something right away, what was thi-

 

An intense, horrifying pain overcame Eddie’s entire body as the scan began, the balance of his body with the symbiote he was unaware of coming into violent disruption. Venom felt as if it was being violently shaken inside a container, rattling off the walls and the sound sent ripples through its very essence, making it feel like it was boiling. It was tearing it apart, it wasn’t sure it could maintain its bond to the body and it made Eddie’s entire being shake uncontrollably.

 

When it finally stopped, Eddie grabbed for any leverage to try and get out of this… Tube. Dan came up next to him as the stretcher rolled out of the machine.

 

“Hey, hey, hey, you’re coming out.” Dan said, Eddie sitting up straight away, shaken to his core.

 

The symbiote felt absolutely knocked out, even if it had tried to grab Dan for making this happen, it wouldn’t be able to, it was powerless right now, Eddie’s body still shivering from the scan.

 

“Are you alright, look at me, just take a deep breath, okay?” Eddie took a deep breath, exhaling with exertion. 

  
  
  


A little while later, Dan was following him to the hospital when they were called over by an older woman with a papillon, wanting to chat a little. The dog yipped and growled at Eddie, Dan then having to remind the woman about not keeping the dog at the hospital.

 

They moved on and Dan promised Eddie that they’d figure this out, then recommended some rest and relaxation for him.

 

Venom had finally recovered, but still felt like shit from being inside that MRI machine, at least they were leaving now. He could get something to eat, more than just a few bites out of a lobster. Although that had been good. Still, it kept feeding on Eddie’s organs, just because this guy didn’t think about his health or listen to his body didn’t mean Venom had to follow that example. It was still… Frustrating. 

 

This guy was a mess.


	5. Quiet Night In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corporate gang bang stopped by alien slime in San Francisco apartment
> 
> More at six

 

 

Eddie was relieved to finally be home, and despite hearing that voice again on the cable car, he felt a sense of relief. Dan seemed capable, like he cared… even despite Eddie's crazy behavior at the restaurant. It brought him some sense of closure, a feeling that Anne was in good hands. Dan was different, a good different. And it was sort of flattering how Dan had said he was a fan of Eddie's work. Perhaps after all this was over with, they could hang out. All three of them. Oh who was he kidding, after this, he doubted Anne would ever want to see him again, not that she'd wanted to beforehand.

 

He raised a hand to squeeze the bridge of his nose, close to his eyes, regretting his way of handling things like this. He sighed, then felt his stomach growl, the feeling of emptiness in his stomach painful.

Alright, all he'd had today was frozen tater tots, old trash can chicken(which made a swift comeback shortly after touchdown), and some chunks of a live lobster. The thought of the lobster made his mouth water, what kind of sickness could have you hankering for live flesh? He shivered at the thought and shook his head, as if he'd gone into some sort of haze. He had more tater tots in the freezer, they'd have to do.

 

It was as he was pushing the pan of tots into his little toaster oven that his phone began ringing. He was genuinely surprised to see that it was Anne, and he picked up.

 

“Oh, hey Anne.”

 

“Eddie hi, how you feeling?”

 

“Ooh, I'm sick. ”

 

“Well, Eddie, you have a parasite. They're not exactly sure how you got it, but it would explain the fever…”

 

“That would make sense. Also I'm… Ah I'm hearing a voice. ” He admitted, and a third, unexpected voice chimed in.

 

“Uh, auditory hallucinations are actually pretty common.”

 

“Oh hi, Dan. I didn't realize that you were on the call too.” Eddie responded, reminding himself that the two were, after all, dating.

 

“Yeah, I'm here. ”

 

“Mm. Hey Dan, would this parasite would it like be able to make me like climb a really, really tall tree but like super, SUPER fast?” He asked, gesturing with his hands, as if that would in any way be noticeable by Dan.

 

 **[Yes, we just did.]** Eddie flinched at the sudden voice, looking to his side as if it had spoken in his ear. Nothing. What a headache, it was enough to be a conversation of three, but now the voice in his head was back, piping in, too. Of course, ‘speak of the devil and he shall appear’.

 

“Well Eddie it sounds like it could be causing some metabolic abnormalities that would make it difficult for your body to maintain homeostasis.” Dan explained as a matter of factly, making Eddie scowl.

 

“You said causing and body and uhh, you lost me.“

 

“Listen Eddie, uhm, we're gonna get you on some meds, and we're gonna clear that out.“ Dan assured him, and it did make Eddie feel a little better.

 

“Yes.“

 

**[Never gonna happen.]**

 

“Hffsh- stop doing that now-- not now.“ Eddie groaned at the voice making its presence known yet again.

 

“Eddie we're just trying to help you!“ Annie protested.

 

“I know, I know I'm just, I'm not actually talking to you, Annie.“ This conversation was turning into such a mess.

 

“Who are you talking to?“ She asked, and he put the phone down, how was he supposed to answer that? He didn’t know! Was he going crazy? What parasite could talk to you?

 

“I'm just gonna call you back, alright? Thank you, thank you Dan, thank you both. “

 

He hung up feeling scattered, anxious… He was just gonna lie down and relax for a while, eat his tater tots, watch a movie maybe, then just fall asleep-- suddenly he heard the jarring sound of an electric guitar resonate through the walls from his metal-head neighbor's apartment, and his heart started beating fast, it was so loud he kicked his trash can into the fridge, growling before he threw his hands over his ears and temples. This was worse than it had ever been before. It was ringing in his ears, it was making his very skin crawl with discomfort. From his very core he knew he could not take this tonight. He was feeling so sick.

 

He hurried into the hallway, leaning on the neighbor's door and “knocking” on the door hard until the guy answered the door.

 

“Yeah?” He said with a tinge of annoyance at the hard knocking.

 

“Hey, can you turn your music down, please, cause’ I’m having a really hard time.” Eddie said, holding onto the doorway, at first it was so as not to fall forward from his head still buzzing from the electric guitar, but another part of him **needed to be held back as to not dive head first on the guy for being so goddamn inconsiderate of his neighbours.** When did he get so aggressive?

 

The guy snorted, giving him a sneer.

 

“Whatever.” He said, starting to close to the door.

 

**This piece of shit.**

 

Eddie felt his entire face tense up in a grimace, like his face was bubbling and he couldn’t stop a low growl from escaping, yet still holding on tight to the doorway.

 

The guy’s face changed quite suddenly from disinterest to fear, and Eddie leaned out of the doorway, blinking as the feeling on his face had gone away as quickly as it’d started.

 

“E- Yeah, sure man.I’ll just turn it right down sir.” The neighbour said, apparently changing his mind. And Eddie wasn’t going to question that, or why the guy had looked so intimidated, he’d just made a face. Did he look _that_ sick?

 

“Thank you, thank you.” Eddie said and turned to head back into his apartment, feeling his head starting to stop pounding. He checked the tater tots, he liked them with more color, and there was hardly any right now, so he picked up the trash can he’d kicked over.

 

Now where was he?

 

Ah yes, relax. That sounded so very good right now, he turned with a longing, tender look towards his couch and let himself drag himself over on autopilot, before tipping over into it.

 

“Uuh,” he groaned in relief as his body sunk into the well used couch, today had been a LONG day. Maybe he’d cut the evening short, watch something while eating, then go to bed and have a nice long rest. Tomorrow, he could go to The Network building, see if he couldn’t get these pictures to the right people. That reminded him...

 

He was starting to feel really worried about Dr. Skirth and the lack of response from her. Maybe he'd get a response tonight. He hoped so. The Life Foundation building must've been in an uproar after his escape. God… He Couldn't believe he'd made it out of there alive.

 

The reporter took out his phone to look at the pictures again, it seemed so distant, now. But it was just last night. He scrolled through the pictures, thinking about those poor people and what might’ve happened to them.

 

He came back to the photo of Maria curled up in her cell, and it made his heart twist. It was heartbreaking. How long was she alone in there? What did they put her through that made her go nuts and attack him right after begging him to help her get out. He wish he’d known, she didn’t deserve this. The longer he stared at the photo, there was some part of him having a growing feeling that it **just** **couldn’t stand to see this photo again.**

 

He put his phone away and sighed deeply, raising his hand rubbing his face. He’d find justice for her, her and the rest of the people in there... and whoever else Carlton Drake had used for whatever sick experiment that was going on in there.

 

He shut his eyes, trying to think of something else for now. He wondered what the tests Dan had done would come back with. He hoped it was something, anything. Anything to explain his weird-ass symptoms today.

 

A certain rough smell drifted its way to his nose and it took a moment before he realized.

 

_His tots!_

 

Eddie hurried to the oven, turning it off and reaching for a kitchen towel to take the baking-sheet out with. He hissed at the hot sheet as he pulled it out, some smoke escaping along with it. Well, they weren’t all so burnt, he could probably peel off the burnt skin if he wanted to… But knowing himself… he’d be too lazy to. He put the sheet down and rubbed his singed fingers with a sigh. He really couldn’t catch a break today.

 

 **[Do not open that door.]** He heard suddenly, freezing on the spot.

 

What? The door? What about it? He frowned.

 

“Huh?” He huffed in bewilderment, but as if on cue, a few rough knocks sounded on his door. He turned around and headed over to the door, taking a look through the peephole. No one there? Had someone left something outside? Was it a prank?

 

Only one way to find out.

 

 

* * *

 

 

This really wasn’t shaping up to be a good second day of freedom for the symbiote. Eddie had ran into some doctor who realized something wasn’t right with him, and put him in that pain-machine that made their head fucking rattle like shaking coins inside a tin can. Luckily he’d let Eddie walk away afterwards, and Venom hoped they wouldn’t have to see him again. It had seriously looked forward to relaxing, just for a night, and then going for the Life Foundation rocket the next day. But nooo, no, the laying low-plan would progressively fall apart through the course of the evening, from the call with the woman and the doctor, telling him they’d “clear _that_ out” to snapping at the neighbour, and now...

 

this situation.

 

It had become aware of a sudden onset of footsteps vibrating through the building all of a sudden, coming closer to the apartment, up to their door. Eddie couldn’t catch it, but the symbiote had caught a muffled, curt exchange of words through the wall. Suspicious. Not good.

 

It had warned Eddie not to open the door, but _of course._

 

What did it expect at this point.

 

Now here they were, being backed up roughly into the apartment by a random guy, whilst others were entering and spreading into the room. They were all dressed uniformly in black, and one stood out.

 

“Hey Eddie.” The man said, he was bald, that was really only his extinguishing feature.

 

 **[Who the hell is this guy?]** Eddie backed up slightly, eyes darting between the men, then back at the… team leader?

 

“I’m gonna need Mr. Drake’s property back.” _Drake?_ Of course. And with that, two of the other men raised and aimed stun guns right at Eddie’s chest.

 

“Oh,” Eddie raised his arms instinctively, which made the symbiote protest.

 

**[What are you doing.]**

 

“I’m uh… I’m putting my hands up.” Eddie responded, garnering unsure looks from the group of intruders, especially when he threw his hands down again.

 

 **[You are making us look bad.]** The symbiote berated him, responsible for the rebellious act.

 

“I- No, I am not!” Eddie insisted, fighting the force of… whatever was moving his arms, and put them up again, starting to feel quite… _stressed and distressed._

 

 **[Yes you are.]** Venom growled, repeating the motion, to which Eddie tried to resist.

 

“No I’m not.”

 

 **[Yes you are!]** The silly flapping of his arms surely made the men wonder if this guy was nuts, since he was, in fact, talking to himself. This was starting to feel ridiculous.

 

“No I’m not!” Eddie continued, starting to sweat.

 

**[Why would you do that!]**

 

“Because it is a very sensible thing to do.”

 

 **[I will take care of this** **_myself_ ** **.]**

 

“W-what?” Eddie whimpered,

 

“Eddie, where’s the bug?”

 

All Eddie had to respond with was a panicked, confused laugh.

 

The bald guy had had enough of this and ordered his men to take him down, and for a split second, Venom was relieved that the arguing was over. That was until they fired their stun guns at Eddie, sending electricity painfully shooting through his body. He called out in pain, and the symbiote reacted. Time to see how well it could manifest through Eddie’s body.

 

Just throwing his hand out was enough to send a torrent of black sludge onto one of the men, shooting him out a window to certain death. That was… easy. Eddie looked absolutely stunned by what he’d just done. Then it became quite obvious it was not him, as his other arm threw out, a thick, black tendril slamming another of the men into the ceiling.

 

Eddie stared at his hands, then looked up at the two remaining men. His arms moved on their own again, shooting out another two tendrils and catching them by their puny necks, knocking out one of them before pulling the **ain’t-shit baldy closer, intent on biting his pasty little head off.**

 

“I’m so sorry about your friends.” Eddie said with his voice cracking, making the symbiote cringe internally. _Moment ruined._ The guy just had a look of general disbelief on his face. Eddie really was the least intimidating host Venom could’ve come across.

 

It decided to instead slam the guy on the coffee table, its legs breaking beneath the force. One of the other guys were getting up, and the symbiote made Eddie kick a dumbell into him.

 

Eddie gasped, regaining his balance, then looked down at his hands to find the black, gooey, oily material connecting them. He tried pulling them apart, the stuff stretching between them like taffy.

 

“What is _that?!_ ”

 

 **[Not what,]** Venom responded, pleased by the ease with which it was exerting its properties on Eddie’s form, making him turn around and throw coils of slime around the neck of another one of the goons that had the courage to get up, then spun and threw him on the ground. **[** **_Who_ ** **.]**

 

“Oh,” the scuffle continued, the symbiote getting a feel for Eddie’s body, or well, throwing it around like a ragdoll, but really, it was going well! He was quite malleable! And it didn’t even have to assume its full form to deal with these people. Another two were turning up, with real guns. Not a problem.

 

One of them got a few hits in on Eddie, which was annoying. Nothing a fist to the face didn’t solve, though…

 

And before they knew it, no one was getting up anymore.

 

[Outstanding!] Venom crowed exuberantly while Eddie backed up, taking in the aftermath of what had just happened. [Now, let’s bite all their heads up and pile them up in the corner,] It then added morbidly.

 

“Why would we do that...”

 

 **[Pile of bodies,]** it noticed footsteps coming from the hallway, **[pile of heads,]** it finished before throwing an arm of slime out of Eddie’s back, hitting the armed man that turned up in the doorway and sending him into the neighbour’s door with a loud sound.

 

Time to make their escape, and Eddie seemed to think so, too. Sadly, he wasn’t very imaginative, finding himself with no way to go, as one shithead was coming up the stairs, another having gotten off the floor and was now coming out to shoot at him from the doorway to his apartment.

 

The symbiote found the solution and Eddie soon realized too as it lead his steps towards one of the windows.

 

“No, no no!” Eddie protested loudly before he was forced to jump through it, knowing they were several stories up, his heart dropping as he saw the asphalt far below him, quickly coming closer.

 

But once again, he was sent for a loop as the black sludge was fired off to grab ahold of the railing on a balcony on the adjacent apartment building.

 

He screamed as he was suddenly flung through a glass door into someone else’s apartment, giving the inhabitants quite the fright, they were… shaken, but relatively chill about the entire ordeal, considering. The panic ensued though once one of the mean that had come for him started firing out the window he had jumped out of, and the symbiote formed a shield to catch the bullets before they all fled the apartment.

 

Running down the stairs towards the exit, Eddie had a million thoughts racing through his head. He should’ve expected something like this, but how did they find him?! And, whatever he’d caught at the Foundation, whoever- had just saved him, or more precisely, itself. But how the hell was he supposed to get away from these people? … His bike! Oh yes, yes, yes. Perfect, it was in the alley. He could get away, shake them off, go somewhere- Where? He had no idea. Anywhere.

 

They got outside, and Eddie padded towards his motorcycle, passing a car.

 

**Maybe it was a good time, now…**

 

 **[Eddie,]** he stopped, realizing he’d caught a glimpse of something, weird- in the reflection of the car window. He backed up, taking a look, and was shaken by the sight of not himself, but… Something else.

 

He drew an apprehensive breath, reaching out to touch the car window, then his face, seeing his reflection mimic his actions, but that wasn’t him. It was an inky black figure, with pearlescent white eyes and a lipless, massive mouth filled with jagged teeth. Wh-what…

 

“You’re not even here- I’m just seeing things, it’s not real, you’re in my head...” Eddie rambled, trying desperately to believe his own words, “You’re just a parasite”.

 

That garnered a big reaction, the face on the other side contorting aggressively and the voice sounded through his head again, synced perfectly to its moving, toothed maw.

 

**[Parasite!?]**

 

He was sent backwards into the brick wall behind him with a slamming sound, and he groaned in pain, feeling his arms restraining out on either side of him.

 

How dared this sweaty little man call them a parasite!? Especially after it had just saved him from Drake’s people! It was getting sick of hearing that, Eddie was _nothing_ before Venom found him, and he had no idea how much worse it could’ve been for him.

 

The clueless man made a terrified sound, realizing he was truly stuck to this wall. He turned his head to look at one of his hands. Seemed like he’d have to be _reminded_ that he was dealing with something _far_ bigger than he was...

 

“You have a brain tumor, Eddie.” He reminded himself, fighting against the restraint to pull his arm free, seeing that black sludge still connecting his hand to the wall, and suddenly, pull it back against it with a simple but powerful tug.

 

“I’m sorry I called you a parasite, we can discuss this,” he breathed frantically, noticing something moving in the air out of his peripheral vision, “like two men,” he finished, turning his head to find an object ominously flying towards him, then accelerating.

 

“What is that- What is that?” Suddenly he felt like he could move again, and he pushed himself off the wall and threw himself away from it just as the drone crashed into it with an explosion of blue fire.

 

Eddie only glanced back at it before he hopped on his motorcycle, speeding away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeyyy, author here! just here to tell anyone following this fic sorry for the delay, i've wanted to write this non stop but sadly life hates me right now, aside from my depression my tonsils have been fucked for like three weeks now so I haven't been feeling very driven to write. 
> 
> But finally here's chapter five! hope you enjoyed it even though it's literally just retelling scenes from the movie lmaoo I'll try not to do that going forward unless people like that, so let me know? I seriously love hearing reader thoughts about my writing, i appreciate any comments <3 
> 
> You can probably guess what's coming up next!! Also I'm super excited to get to parts of this fic to really fullfill the "possessive behaviour", "obsession" and "pining" tags! dats my shit


	6. Proper Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First date ideas: High speed car chase, horrifying traffic accident, swallowing a human head whole, evading the police, going swimming together and a romantic talk by the docks :)

Eddie skidded out of the alley, speeding out onto the street and merging into the evening traffic. He hoped to lose any pursuer by cutting off the other cars through narrow gaps between them. 

 

This thing was fast

 

Really fast. 

 

And Venom  _ liked _ going fast. 

  
  


They were both too late to notice the hum of a quickly approaching drone, until a familiar ticking alerted Eddie, his heart dropped and he was sure that was it. The drone barreled into the street, narrowly missing the tire of his motorcycle and exploding in a flash of blue that had Eddie's grip on the handles loosen, and he screamed. 

 

Venom's reaction was instant and Eddie's hands clamped down hard, pumping the gas to the max. Eddie gasped at the roar of the motorcycles engine and the speed picking up, then looked at his arms as black sludge emerged to cover them, practically gluing him to the motorcycle like some life sized action figure. 

 

The symbiote was taking the wheel now, and it wasn't worried about keeping it safe. 

 

Eddie yelled in confusion and fear, the wind roaring in his ears and his eyes watering at the dangerous speed. He really, really wished he had his  _ helmet  _ right now. 

 

He could hear the hum of drones behind him and then the clicking again, he called out, swerving from more drones bombarding him. He tried hard to keep his eyes on the road, zooming between cars while the panic inducing sound of another drone was closing in behind him. 

 

The symbiote could tell the drone was locked on target and there was no room to swerve as the flying robot accelerated to hit Eddie directly. The symbiote acted quickly, shooting a tendril up to hook behind Eddie’s neck.

 

**{Duck.}** It warned, making him bow onto the motorcycle, and Eddie yelled in surprise at the drone darting past above his head and crashing into the street.

 

Eddie sat up again.

 

“Oohf- Thank you!” He called out,  _ finally _ . Some manners.

 

Venom huffed, **{You are welcome}** , and then rolled the throttle into full gear, making the motorcycle speed up again.

 

Another drone crashed behind them, the attacks seemed to be coming more aggressively now, one after the other, and Eddie was yelling with each miss. He could feel the heat flashes from each drone’s explosion, and he whimpered a silent prayer that he was making it out of this alive.

 

Venom was working on it, not particularly concerned. Although the heat from the explosions were sure to hurt if there was a direct hit, but it was quite confident that it could keep this guy alive. It didn’t have time to let him know that, however. It was more preoccupied with how much it was enjoying the high speed chase. 

 

To finally be out and free to stretch its metaphorical legs, it was intoxicating. Nothing could keep up with them, and Venom was about to prove it.

 

It avoided another drone, which instead went barrelling into the rear of a car, the force of the explosion sent the car bucking with a strangely beautiful tail of white fire, like some abnormal, car-shaped comet. Eddie didn’t get to watch it over his shoulder for long before they turned harshly onto a different street.

 

They never stopped coming, it seemed, Eddie could hear one coming up behind him, and with a look down the narrow street he could tell there was no way of losing it, this time.

 

“Oh god no!” He begged, turning back to the road with his heart drumming in his ears, this was it!

 

The symbiote had already spotted a possible solution, and caught onto an open cardoor as they drove past it, ripping it off the car and pulling it onto Eddie’s back like a shield, and a split second later, the drone hit them.

 

Eddie hadn’t had time to see what had happened before he felt something smash into his back with a bright flash of light, the sound ringing in his ears and almost throwing his balance off, but he was fine- he peeked over his shoulder, seeing a cardoor drop to the ground behind them, with a trail of blue fire behind it.

 

That relief was short lived as soon there were another two flying shits on their tail, and at this point, Eddie hunkered down on the bike and hoped to god that whatever parasite had taken charge could get them out of this shit. 

  
  


Venom made them drive up onto the sidewalk, a parked car blocking one drone from hitting them. It exploded behind them and sent the car a few feet into the air, people screaming fearfully as they tried to avoid it.

The other one was now trying to flank them, coming in hot.

 

“Holy shit,” Eddie got out right before Venom instinctively hit the breaks, the momentum of the bike making it tip onto its front wheel, but the sudden loss of speed made the drone overshoot its target, and it missiled straight into a nearby wall, and the bike went screeching straight into the fiery blue explosion. The heat was intensely painful, easily shaving away the black membrane off Eddie’s arms, and the man screamed as he felt it. It left the alien momentarily incapacitated and Eddie had the sense to let go of the breaks despite the pain, regaining control of the motorcycle.

 

 He was breathing hard, his arms tingling like they’d fallen asleep, but now he couldn’t hear anymore drones around, and for a little while it seemed like he might’ve lost them? 

 

Venom was recovering from the burn, relieved that this guy knew how to drive this thing in the first place and didn’t just give up and stop once left to his own devices for a minute.

 

It let its oily substance resurface to cover Eddie’s arms once more, like putting its hands on top of his and guiding his movements- just more… forcefully. Eddie grimaced, getting a feeling that this wasn’t over yet.

 

He looked ahead just in time to spot a black SUV drive onto his lane from the oncoming traffic and speed towards him.

 

The motorcycle avoided the car by inches, and soon after he realized another one was already chasing them. They accelerated but up ahead another SUV came out from an intersection to cut them off.

“Oh god do something!” Eddie yelled desperately, with no idea how his parasite was getting them out of this situation.

 

Venom obliged and tipped the entire bike on its side, spilling its black material beneath it to make the entire object slide on the asphalt like it was ice. It shot a tendril out to catch them on a lamp-post, sending them into a sudden turn to completely avoid the car and keep going down the next street, Eddie screaming all the while. It pushed the bike up onto its wheels again and sped up. Eddie was absolutely awestruck, each and every time he thought he was about to get into the gnarliest traffic accident in history, this thing finessed him out of it. He reminded himself that it had also gotten him into this shit in the first place.

 

They kept speeding down a bigger street now, and heard the skidding of tires as another two cars drifted into their trail. Eddie glanced back at them with an exasperated groan.

 

“Oh yeah, we’ve got more friends, awesome!” He exclaimed right before they turned onto an uphill street without slowing down, and they both quickly realized what would happen once they reached the top. While Eddie’s chest filled with fear of the unknown of ever attempting something like that, Venom felt a surge of excitement.

 

“No, no no no-” Eddie protested, “No you are out of your  _ mind! _ ”

 

_ Oh yes.  _ The alien thought gleefully, instead opting for turning the throttle fully and the bike screamed with unhindered power as it sped up fast.

 

The end of the hill came and just as suspected, they went airborne, way higher than Eddie had expected or wanted to go and he screamed, feeling the slime retract and he lost his grip on the handlebars. He helplessly watched the bike hover away from him in midair and he was sure that now this thing was actually killing him itself. The symbiote on the other hand, could hardly contain its joy at the thrill, it wanted to laugh at the adrenaline-junky-esque sensation it felt right now..

 

As they started coming down, the symbiote sent out tendrils to catch onto the bike again, pulling Eddie back onto it right before they landed, the hull of the bike scratching the ground and throwing up sparks, bouncing slightly.

 

Eddie was too stunned to scream as they went over more small rises and falls in the street, the jumps not even close to as bad as that first one.

 

They started driving downhill again, to his relief, until Eddie realized the dead end they were hurtling towards.

 

“That is a dead end!” He yelled, his voice cracking tearfully.

 

**{Not for us}** The symbiote responded with off-handed confidence and shot out two tendrils to catch onto the railing at the end of the street, beyond was, it assumed, another street- and the alien slingshot the entire bike with them on it over the railing, Eddie crying out until they landed, but when they did, he was sort of impressed. This braintumor really knew what it was doing!

 

“Yeah!” He hooted with a grin, slowly having become desensitized to the continuous near-death scenarios he was going through one after the other, and he was starting to enjoy the ride, perhaps even trust that whoever was in control actually wanted them safely out of this situation. Also, that just had to have looked kinda cool.

 

Unfortunately that rail and drop had not stopped the two cars chasing them, but Eddie was starting to lean into each turn and swerve, focusing on the road. He wasn’t sure if he was the one driving right now, or if they both were, because it felt so seamless, like their minds worked in sync for every choice of how to turn the handlebar or when to accelerate. It was strange, but it felt fluid,  _ natural _ , even?

 

They turned onto another road and Eddie could see a bit of a traffic-jam coming up. Shit. He realized there wasn’t any gap to drive through, and they were approaching  _ fast _ , he braced for impact as two black limbs darted out of his shoulder blades and reached for the two cars they were about to collide with, pushing them apart just enough to get the bike through them. The gap wasn’t big enough for the SUV on their ass, though, and it crashed into the cars in a flurry of glass and metal scrap.

The bike kept driving, but there was no way of losing these guys, as another two cars came screeching onto the street from two merging side roads to intercept them.

Eddie realized too late how bad the situation was when the two cars drove up next to them on either side, soon sandwiching the bike between the two larger vehicles. 

 

He cried out, this was so bad! He glanced down to see the black matter stick to the sides of the cars, trying to keep them at a relative distance, but the drivers were intent on stopping them, and he could tell from how the bike whirred from being fractionally slowed down. This was far too close for comfort, he couldn’t get loose, they were going to stop the bike and then he had no clue what was happening!

 

“I am going to die!” He yelled, as sort of call for help, for this tumor thing to do  _ something! _

 

**{You are** **_not_ ** **going to die!}** It yelled back, deciding to improvise and shot two tendrils through the side windows of the cars, shattering them easily and grabbing onto the steering wheels, much to the shock of the drivers. With a rough twist, it turned the wheels outwards and sent the two cars turning away from the bike, subsequently crashing right into parked cars, while the bike drove away.

 

Eddie stared back at the two cars in stunned amazement.

 

“Woah! That was a pretty cool actually-” He exclaimed, taking the symbiote by surprise with the compliment. He thought so? 

 

“I’m not gonna lie-”  _ Crash _ . Suddenly Eddie was not longer on the motorcycle, instead flying through the air, black sky and swirling white lights filling his vision before he hit the ground, hard. 

 

 

The pain was so intense he didn’t even realize he’d rolled a few times from the momentum. His vision was blurry, but he could see the bright headlights of the car he assumed hit him. He was surprised he wasn’t dead, with this pain he wished he was. God… He couldn’t move. By the awkward position he was lying in, at least one of his legs must have been broken and sticking out at a weird angle. 

 

The symbiote had fallen into an embarrassed silence. It had been distracted for what, a split second? And now Eddie was basically roadkill. It groaned internally, damage to the host was what it had wanted to avoid. It’d take so much energy they didn’t have to  _ unbreak  _ Eddie’s bones. But very well, there wasn’t really an  _ alternative _ , now was there?

 

Eddie groaned in pain, grit his teeth and shut his eyes tight. When he opened them again, the rude bald guy was standing above him.

 

“You have been a serious pain in the ass for me, Eddie.” he said, and Eddie just… despite being in such bad pain- he couldn’t stand this guy and his bright blue eyes and shiny perfect teeth.

 

“Weeell, you know… I aim to please.” he groaned, meeting the man’s gaze. 

 

This guy was funny, the symbiote had to admit. In a pathetic sort of way, had he not had a  _ real  _ trick up his sleeve..  To both the men’s surprise, one of Eddie’s arms snapped up, grabbing the man by the neck, black slime covering it. The sound of bones cracking, snapping back into place, the almost sizzling sound of alien tissue moving across skin, filling up open wounds like puddles in cracked asphalt and forcing them closed again, before enveloping limbs completely.

 

All Eddie felt was intense relief, how the pain seemed to slide off him like a breeze, and he stared dazed up at the man, who struggled against the iron tight grip with rising distress, then he was slowly lifted into the air as Eddie’s body rose off the ground, aided by the black material that seemed to be swallowing him whole, molding a shell after his body. Different than a skintight suit or armor- it felt like it was  _ him _ . His hand around this man’s neck, his weight nothing compared to this new strength. He could feel power rush through his limbs, and he stared into the man’s frightened face right before the slime closed around his head like some wet, warm helmet, and everything went dark. Then, his eyes opened again, but… It wasn’t…  _ His  _ eyes. It was different, better? Sharper? He couldn’t describe it- and then he spoke. He didn’t even realize he was, because it wasn’t his voice. It was the voice from his head. And the man could hear it.

 

“ **Eyess, lungss, pancreasss, so many snacks, so little time** ”, the fully formed Venom purred deeply with a constant, toothy grin. It was remembering its earlier idea about biting this asshole’s head off, and was salivating at the thought of it. They opened their mouth slowly, a feral clicking emanating from the depths of its throat before a long, dripping tongue slipped out between its teeth and bridged the gap between them, dragging a long lick up the side of the man's face. He made a noise of disgust and fear, and Venom could taste it on the cold sweat that was beading on his skin, it was delicious; the  _ adrenaline _ . 

 

It began opening its massive maw and its hot breath hit the man's face like a gust of wind but no sooner than that and a bang sounded along with something smacking them in the back. The massive creature paused with a grunt and turned around with annoyance, seeing presumably what was another of Drake's men, with a shotgun. The guy seemed to be at a loss about the fact that a shotgun blast to the back did  _ nothing _ .

 

_ Always these damn interruptions.  _

 

Venom tossed the bald guy over their shoulder, and when it turned back towards the shooter, it stepped closer and lunged, mouth-first. With a sickening  _ crunch _ , Venom sunk its teeth into his neck and tore it. The man's head ripped clean off his shoulders, the decapitated body dropping like a sack of potatoes to the ground. 

 

The iron taste of blood filled its mouth and Venom swallowed down the entire head with ravenous pleasure, immediately feeling it begin digesting.

 

That's  _ much  _ better. 

 

Anyway, where were they? Ah yes,  _ escaping _ . 

 

The yells and calls of police filled the air, and Venom turned, not completely sure of how to lose any pursuers now with this eye catching, alien form and the bike totalled. They went into a sprint and used a car as a springboard, the mere weight of them making the roof buckle under their feet and the windows shatter outwards. 

 

They leapt, catching onto the side of a building with powerful claws that dug into concrete like it was playdoh, then sprung off onto and crushing a police car. They could hear the cops firing after them as it leapt into the street. They caught a whiff of the sea breeze and turned their head to spot the glistening black waters of the San Francisco harbor ahead. 

 

_ That works. _

 

Another two cars wrecked in traffic and Venom lunged onto the street with a heavy thud, then flung itself straight through the concrete safety wall on the dock and plummeted into the ocean with the grace of a basset hound. 

 

Once in the water, however. It was a much different story. Being in essence so similar to a liquid meant that the symbiote mixed seamlessly into the water, allowing it to move through it with minimal resistance. 

 

They ripped through the harbor like an underwater missile towards more secluded shores, or, well, an empty docking bay at least. 

  
  


 

Their path left a sharp wake closely behind as they rapidly approached the edge of the dock. Venom exploded out of the water, hitting the pavement and as they rolled, the symbiote retracted back into the body, leaving Eddie to roll to a halt on his side with a groan, stunned.

 

He stared for a split second, realizing nothing really… Hurt. 

 

“My legs.” He mumbled,  _ getting up _ , arms spread out as he looked himself over in disbelief. His jeans were torn, skin showing beneath, but no wounds.

 

“Oh my god- my legs were broken. Now they’re not broken.” He said, giving a little stomp to confirm that in fact, it didn’t hurt. He wasn’t hurting. In fact, aside from being wet. He was fine. “What is happening?”

 

He stumbled over to sit by a structure nearby, just to  _ think _ . 

 

_ Time for proper introductions,  _ thought the symbiote.

 

Another tendril extended from Eddie’s body. But different, something at the end- It wasn’t until he saw parts looking like wet flesh and teeth and eyes blooming out that he realized it was a head. A grotesque, toothed head. Lipless. White eyes extended far onto its head, a mockery of what  _ should  _ look human. But this wasn’t human. And it was looking at him. Smiling.

 

He drew back, his back pushing up against the beam behind him as he drew a breath of… Well, fear? ...or amazement. 

 

Just a second of looking at this thing and he couldn’t help but let his shoulders slouch as he leaned forward slightly and frown with careful fascination. 

 

It was strange, but somehow satisfying to finally see Eddie’s reaction to… Seeing  _ it _ , for himself.

 

“What the hell are you?” Eddie whispered.

 

“ **I am Venom.** ” It replied, “ **And you are mine.** ”

 

Without really stopping to react to its words, Eddie dove headfirst into a statement.

 

“You bit somebody’s  _ head  _ off.” Venom hardly thought that was special, considering all the stunts it had been pulling off in the last 15 minutes.

 

“ **Fuel in the tank.** ” It responded softly, the head and its snake-like liquiform swayed. And they  _ needed  _ it, considering the lack of diet lately. It had needed a chomp of Eddie’s kidney just to heal his broken limbs. A human head in their system was going to be a huge boost, considering. 

 

“ **Listen carefully, Eddie. You did not find** **_us_ ** **,** **_we_ ** **found you.** ” It spoke, hovering closer, and Eddie did not pull away, he was too stunned to think of fleeing, just taking in the…  _ visage  _ of Venom. It’s watery-looking ‘skin’ in constant movement, like a black river streaming out of the center of its head. The pearly ‘eyes’ were warping slightly at the edges, the double rows of teeth and the glistening tongue dipping between them as it spoke. All of it, it was so much to take in, hypnotizing, almost.

 

“ **Think of yourself as my ride** ”, It said, almost endearingly.

 

“Where are you going?”, Eddie asked in a small voice.

 

“ **We need Carlton Drake’s rocket. You remember him** ”, It said, hovering closer again. It knew how Eddie detested this Drake, and if it had to play at that to make Eddie play along, it would.

 

Eddie’s expression changed from fascination to intimidated at that, and he pulled back slightly, realizing how close Venom’s head was, and his teeth.

 

“How do you even know about that?”, and Venom responded without skipping a beat.

 

“ **I know everything, Eddie** ”, it spoke his name in a breathy hiss, excited by his reaction- by his realization about just  _ how  _ deep inside his head it was. It felt powerful.

 

“You do?”

 

“ **Everything about** **_you_ ** **.** ” It whispered, watching the man grow increasingly agitated, breathing harder. Everything it needed to know, anyway.

 

“How?” Eddie demanded, to which Venom replied simply but sardonically, 

 

“ **I am inside your head** ”, before bumping him on the nose, gaining a sound of stress from the man, who turned away slightly, shaking and raising his hands in some futile attempt to express just how overwhelmed he was right now.

 

To seal the deal, the symbiote added a final insult.

 

“ **You are a loser, Eddie** ”, It said, its shape slithering in the air. The look in Eddie’s eyes told it he believed those words, and it produced a satisfied clicking from its mouth. Oh had it waited to say this to him. He really was a mess. 

 

By what  _ standard  _ could the symbiote tell? Aside from what it had garnered about how humans lived from earlier hosts, even from Eddie’s memories of how he’d been more well put together, once upon a time- It had its own experience with being just that. A  _ loser _ . And it wasn’t now, not anymore. It was on an important mission for its entire race, hand picked by Riot, and if this entire endeavour was successful, it’d mean a very different life for the symbiote. From being nobody, to being a hero. All it had to do was walk this fleshpuppet onto that rocket, whether Eddie agreed to it or not.

 

Eddie frowned, some semblance of acceptance coming over his strained expression.

 

“Are you ahh”, he swallowed, “are you gonna eat anybody else?”, he asked and blinked, his hair still dripping with saltwater.

 

“ **Most likely** ”, Venom said cheerfully, and Eddie shut his eyes.

 

“Oh, god”, He groaned, almost a whimper. He couldn’t believe this was happening, what this thing was telling him.

 

“ **That is why we are here** ”, it explained, but realized it might’ve gone… a little far. A little too hard, perhaps. “ **Cooperate, and you might just** **_survive_ ** **.** ”, it added, “ **That is the deal** ”.  

 

A lie, to be sure, but just something to make this man… easier to handle. That or… this guy just looked way too pitiful, realizing the fate of, well… everything. Or was he even clever enough to realize the gravity of his situation? It really seemed like this fool just stumbled into every success or predicament he found himself in in his life.

 

An idiot. A clammy, emotion-driven idiot. Now, however, he was Venom’s idiot. 

 

 

_ For as long as he’d last. _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Nervous laugh* heheheyyyyyy (: this fic is back
> 
> I feel so bad for leaving this for so long, even if i know I can’t help it when it happens. This was a long one though and I feel like, even if no one’s left to read this, at least I want to finish it for myself. Like not sure if this fandom is dead and I’m not really involved in the fandom and I don’t care to be, I just want to share my perspectives of the story in writing. Will there be more long breaks? Probably. Not gonna lie. But maybe i can cram out some chapters before the next one! I’m just happy to be back to writing again!
> 
> Oh boy, last i even looked at this thing was november 26th 2018, and it was basically almost done and I just LEFT it and my life just hasn’t been ideal for the creative goo to flow, I suppose. I’ve been neck deep in dragon age inquisition these last few months and while considering writing some fanfic to fullfill my own horny fantasies about a certain character from that game- this fic came back to me? I feel like I’m in a better place to continue it now, and re-reading comments from the last chapters have been a massive encouragement to know there’s people who DID enjoy what I’m writing.
> 
> As always, thanks a ton for reading and if there’s anything in particular that you liked then it’d make my day to hear about it in the comments. <3
> 
> Also if any of you reading are having a tough time rn for any reason, mental health-wise, anything, know that there’s someone out there that cares for you and I hope my writing can help you take your mind off things. Things get better, I know that from a decade of depression. Find joy in what you can, and share it- if not for others, then for yourself.


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